Stand to Reason Weekly Podcast

When Tough Times Tempt You to Wonder if God Is There

Greg talks about gaining confidence that God is there when we’re going through tough times, then he answers questions about STR’s view of faith and responding to “nones.” 

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: When tough times tempt you to wonder if God is there (00:00)
2. Why does an article at Stand to Reason grant the unbeliever’s view of faith? (35:00)
3. What would you say to someone who affirms a “none” position? (49:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Greg’s Twitter feed
• Reality Student Apologetics Conference
• Closeout sale on reTHINK Apologetics Conference t-shirts
• Donate to Stand to Reason

Can We Know What the Early Christians Taught?

Greg explains that there is such a thing as historic Christianity and we can know it, then he answers questions about the beginning of Genesis, when divorce is allowed, and ghosts.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Can we know what the early Christians taught? (00:00)
2. Do the first 11 chapters of Genesis reflect what we now know about human history? (28:00)
3. What do you think about divorce in the case of domestic violence? (41:00)
4. Why, in Matthew 14:26, are the disciples so worried about ghosts if ghosts don’t exist? (51:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Coronavirus and Christ by John Piper (all digital versions—including the audiobook—are free)
• Summit Ministries
• Another Gospel? A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers
• A Matter of Days: Resolving a Creation Controversy by Hugh Ross
• Seven Days That Divide the World: The Beginning According to Genesis and Science by John Lennox

Interview: Natasha Crain – Talking with Your Kids about Jesus

Greg talks to Natasha Crain about her newest book, Talking with Your Kids about Jesus: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Natasha Crain, author of Talking with Your Kids about Jesus (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Natasha Crain’s website
• Talking with Your Kids about Jesus: 30 Conversations Every Christian Parent Must Have by Natasha Crain
• Grassroots Apologetics for Parents
• Keeping Your Kids on God's Side: 40 Conversations to Help Them Build a Lasting Faith by Natasha Crain
• Talking with Your Kids about God by Natasha Crain

Interview: Jay Richards – Money, Greed, and God

Greg talks to Jay Richards about the 10th anniversary edition of Money, Greed, and God: The Christian Case for Free Enterprise.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Jay Richards on Money, Greed, and God: The Christian Case for Free Enterprise (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Jay W. Richards
• Money, Greed, and God 10th Anniversary Edition: The Christian Case for Free Enterprise by Jay W. Richards
• The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos Is Designed for Discovery by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay W. Richards

Related Links:

• How to Alleviate Poverty by Amy Hall (includes video of a lecture by Jay Richards)
• Values Fight Poverty by Amy Hall
• Virtues and the Economy by Amy Hall

Never Give Up

Greg talks about how we should never give up, then he answers questions about the universal moral law applying to animals, the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, and decisional regeneration.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Never give up (00:00)
2. Is the universal moral law applicable to animals? (23:00)
3. Was homosexuality really the only reason Sodom and Gomorrah were judged? (33:00)
4. What do you think about decisional regeneration? (41:00)

What Was Sodom’s Sin?

Greg responds to a video that claims homosexuality was not the sin of Sodom.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: What was Sodom’s sin? (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Was the Sin of Sodom Actually Homosexuality? (Caution: Adult Subject Matter) – Video by Preston Sprinkle
• A Reformation the Church Doesn’t Need (Answering Revisionist Pro-Gay Theology) Part 1 and Part 2 by Alan Shlemon and Greg Koukl

“One Way Is the Only Way” Is Just Good Math

Greg explains why the idea that Jesus is the only way is not arrogant, narrow-minded bigotry; it’s just math.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: “One way is the only way” is just good math. (:00)

Related Links:

• For more on this topic, see “Any Old God Won’t Do.” 

Greg’s Recipe for Getting through a Crisis

Greg talks about some principles to help you get through crises, then he takes calls about why God created animals that would go extinct, whether some Mormons are Christians, and whether the church should give up its right to assemble right now.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Greg’s recipe for getting through a crisis (00:00)
2. Why did God create so many creatures just to have them go extinct? (32:00)
3. Is it possible some Mormons are actually Christians? (38:00)
4. Is the church being too compliant in giving up our right to assemble during this health crisis? (50:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Is Mormonism Just Another Christian Denomination? by Greg Koukl
• LDS Beliefs: A Doctrinal Reference by Robert Millet

Related Links:

• Who Is the God of Mormonism? by Amy Hall
• LDS View of Atonement Clarified by Amy Hall

Interview: Corey Miller of Ratio Christi

Greg talks to Corey Miller, president and CEO of Ratio Christi, about what’s happening on university campuses and his work with atheist Peter Boghossian.

 

Topics:

1. Interview: Corey Miller of Ratio Christi (00:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• Corey Miller
• Ratio Christi
• The Third Column by Greg Koukl
• Greg’s interview with Neil Shenvi on critical theory
• How We Lost the Universities and How to Reclaim the Voice of Christ by Corey Miller
• A Manual for Creating Atheists by Peter Boghossian

Related Links:

• Engaging Critical Theory & The Social Justice Movement – Booklet by Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer
• If We Lose the Meaning of “Justice,” We Lose the Gospel by Amy Hall

Don’t Be a Couch Potato During This Crisis

Greg gives some practical advice for going through this crisis, talks about the hope we have when our lives turn out differently than we thought, answers a question about becoming an apologist, and more.

 

Topics:

1. Commentary: Don’t be a couch potato during this crisis. (00:00)
2. Commentary: “The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another” (J.M. Barrie). (14:00)
3. What’s your advice for me as I’m working on becoming an apologist? (23:00)
4. Commentary: Can we know what happens when we die? (41:00)

Mentioned on the Show: 

• The Bible: Fast Forward
• The Story of Reality by Greg Koukl
• Tactics by Greg Koukl
• Is It Impossible to Know What Happens When We Die? by Greg Koukl

 

Related Links:

• The Value of Disappointment by Amy Hall
• You Want to Be a Good Apologist? by Amy Hall
• For the Student Who Wants to Be a Christian Apologist by Amy Hall